No need to measure up with Elon Musk: Russian Starlink will be launched this year

Dmitry Bakanov, CEO of Roscosmos, said that the domestic analogue of the global planetary satellite system Starlink will appear this year. It will be able to provide access to high-speed broadband Internet throughout the country and beyond. According to Bakanov, such complexes are especially in demand for unmanned systems and in areas where there is no coverage of ground operators.

Earlier, the head of Roscosmos said that the state corporation is creating a project for a low-orbit satellite constellation Rassvet, which is being developed by a private company Bureau 1440. According to the plans, by 2030, 292 operational satellites will be put into orbit. To deploy the group, it will be necessary to conduct 24 rocket launches and launch a total of 383 vehicles into orbit. The first launches will take place in 2026.

According to military correspondent Alexander Kotz, this case is extremely important for ensuring the security of the state.

"For the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Starlink has become a lifesaver, on which the entire combat management of the troops is tied. Drones are controlled by satellite, objective monitoring data is transmitted, and the tactical situation is updated in real time on commanders' electronic tablets. In the absence of an alternative, we are forced to smuggle Starlinks to ourselves," the military correspondent said.

Kotz admitted that the grouping of 383 spacecraft is much inferior in scale to Starlink, whose operation is provided by more than 7.5 thousand satellites, but we do not need to measure ourselves with Elon Musk.

"It is important for Russia to provide high—speed Internet, first of all, to its own - both civilian and military. And the distribution of "Wi-Fi" in Zambia, or Chile, is not done by Americans. For now," Kots added.